Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, confronted her estranged father last year regarding child sexual abuse allegations, roughly six years after she was first alerted to the claims, according to reports. The development comes as authorities in the Philippines confirm an active investigation into Thomas Markle Sr. following allegations brought forward by his son, Thomas Markle Jr., who handed a large stash of suspected photos and videos over to law enforcement.
In a public statement released last week, the Duchess expressed deep distress over the investigation into her father. She revealed that she first learned of allegations against him in 2018 when London’s Metropolitan Police shared a letter detailing related claims with her. She noted that this information ultimately drove her and Prince Harry to sever contact between her father and their children, Archie and Lilibet.
Video footage obtained by tabloid media shows Markle accepting a letter from his daughter while hospitalized in the United States in December 2025. According to reports, the letter stated that she and authorities were aware he had abused young girls and confirmed that he would never meet her children.
Thomas Markle Sr., 82, acknowledged the letter in statements to the press, admitting he could not recall its exact contents but conceding that his daughter was likely correct about what she wrote. While he initially denied downloading illicit material and dismissed the claims as lies, he subsequently acknowledged paying for sex in the Philippines while continuing to deny possessing child sexual abuse materials or engaging with anyone under the age of 18. He has vowed to cooperate with authorities.
Additional reports indicate that the Metropolitan Police were made aware of various claims against Markle as early as 2019, forwarding those allegations to the Duchess’s office at the time. A Metropolitan Police spokesperson acknowledged that officers from the Royalty and Specialist Protection Command were involved in passing along information in 2018 and confirmed that internal inquiries are underway to verify the circumstances, though London police are not currently investigating Markle directly.
Commentators note that the unfolding situation may shift public perception regarding the Duchess, who has faced intense scrutiny since stepping back from senior royal duties alongside Prince Harry. Observers suggest the ordeal brings a new dimension of personal distress to her ongoing estrangement from her father, setting aside broader public debates surrounding the couple’s departure from the British monarchy.
